High School category, Page 824
Despite defection of teammates, Jeannette’s Justin Shank determined to give his all
Justin Shank often asks himself, “Why me?” Fresh off a WPIAL Class A championship and PIAA runner-up finish as a two-way lineman, the Jeannette senior watched helplessly as teammate after teammate transferred to other schools. “I felt betrayed,” Shank said. “We had all talked about winning another championship with everyone...
Freeport sophomore Colton Otterman set to take off after breakout freshman season
Colton Otterman is not the biggest dog in the fight. But the Freeport sophomore wide receiver and outside linebacker wants to make sure opponents experience his bite. After a breakout freshman season in which he had 33 tackles and a team-leading six sacks, the 5-foot-10, 162- pounder is ready to...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the running backs
Starting this week, TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top running backs for the 2021 season. 1. Landon Alexander Central Valley Senior, 6-0, 180 A former youth football star on the TV show “Friday Night...
New faces tasked with carrying on Penn-Trafford tradition
Rebuilding is a word that isn’t used around the Penn-Trafford football program. They just retool or restock. There is always a group of players ready to step in and take their turn. Some coaches use the team “tradition never graduates,” and what John Ruane has built at Penn-Trafford is a...
After close calls, Latrobe searching for signature winVideo
Latrobe has made things interesting late in the season the past two years, hanging around teams it wasn’t supposed to get in the ring with and nearly pulling stunners. Last year, the Wildcats took Upper St. Clair for a wild ride, finally coming up short in a highlight-filled 52-44 shootout....
New era dawns at Franklin Regional
It’s a fresh start for the Franklin Regional football team. New is the popular word around the program. Lance Getsy replaced legendary coach Greg Botta, who retired after 27 years. Getsy brought in seven new assistant coaches. A new defensive scheme is being implemented, and there are numerous new players...
Gateway gladly wears bull’s-eye in WPIAL Class 5A
On paper, Gateway certainly has the look of a WPIAL contender. The Gators added one of Pennsylvania’s top young quarterbacks in Brad Birch, return a Division I talent at wide receiver and safety in Patrick Body and carry a roster dotted with talent. But the team returns only four or...
Woodland Hills looks to build on bounce-back season
Sustaining the momentum Woodland Hills started to build last season isn’t something senior Deontae Williams takes lightly. The Wolverines went 5-3 and returned to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs after a one-year absence, losing to eventual finalist Peters Township in the first round. “We started lifting in January and February...
No-nonsense lineman helps launch Hempfield into new era
If you like no-nonsense, hand-in-the-dirt linemen with impeccable smarts and a mean streak, Dan Sierk is your guy. The brawny senior from Hempfield will move from tight end to offensive tackle this season and will be a problem for opponents from his defensive end post. You might have a hard...
New receiving corps hoping to catch fire for Fox Chapel
Lorenzo Jenkins was Fox Chapel’s leading receiver over the past two years. But Jenkins — selected to Trib HSSN’s preseason all-star team — has moved on to Blackhawk for his senior season. And Fox Chapel has moved on to different air-attack personnel. While Jenkins accounted for 31 of Fox Chapel’s...
High school notebook: Derry football coaches bridging the age gap
Football teams are learning how to read gaps at camp this week so they can open running lanes this season. At Derry, coaches are learning what a generation gap feels like. Derry second-year coach Vince Skillings is 62 years old. Take the combined age of three of his assistants, and...
Moon plans to follow championship formula
When Moon won a conference championship two seasons ago, its formula for success was controlling the line of scrimmage, running the ball effectively and winning the time-of-possession battle. Tigers coach Ryan Linn sees all of the pieces being in place to execute that plan once again. Moon returns four starters...
Blue-chip QB boosts West Allegheny’s hopes
As September became October last season, West Allegheny was 3-1 and in good shape to earn one of eight Class 5A football playoff spots. However, the Indians lost their final three games and missed the postseason for a second straight year. West A coach Dave Schoppe wasn’t pleased with the...
Like rivals, Upper St. Clair turns to new nucleus
Upper St. Clair’s conference was among the WPIAL’s deepest in recent years with senior-heavy rosters full of experience becoming the norm in the South Hills. This year, that’s not always the case. “Our league is turning over big time,” said USC coach Mike Junko, who returns only five full-time starters....
Bethel Park aims to rebound from rare winless season
Bethel Park has been a perennial WPIAL playoff contender on the gridiron. The 2020 season was an aberration. The Black Hawks, coming off 18 consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances and eight winning seasons in a row, did not win a game last fall and finished 0-7. They expect to turn things...
Peters Township seniors hungry for bigger roles
When Peters Township snaps the football on opening night, returning center Anthony Brunette will be the lineman over the ball. The Indians know that for sure. Who will be the four blockers next to him? Coaches must answer that question and quite a few others if they want to return...
South Fayette working toward Class 5A breakthrough
In the 2002 WPIAL football season, South Fayette moved up from Class A to AA, finished 4-5 and missed the playoffs. After 14 years and three WPIAL championships, the program made the big move from AA to 4A in 2016 with state expanding to six classifications. That year, the Lions...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacks
Starting today, TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top quarterbacks for the 2021 season. 1. Brad Birch Gateway Sophomore, 6-2, 190 Birch already holds a college offer from Pac-12 school Oregon after a title-winning freshman...
WPIAL’s top girls soccer players make Moe Rosensteel award watch list
The Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award recognizes the best WPIAL girls soccer player “whose play, leadership and passion for the game emulates that of the award’s namesake.” Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel was a soccer standout at Ringgold who was about to begin a college career at West Virginia Wesleyan...
East Allegheny eyes another playoff chance
Not long ago at East Allegheny, the concept of regularly playing football in the postseason was but a dream. It rarely happened. Anymore, though, just making it there isn’t enough. “We’ve gotten the program to where we’re getting to the playoffs. We even won a game (in 2017),” coach Dom...
Strength on defense to play key role for Valley
After experiencing four consecutive losing seasons for the first time in nearly 50 years, the Valley Vikings are eager to get back into WPIAL playoff contention. Valley finished last season 1-4 in the Class 3A Allegheny Conference and 2-5 overall. The best way to jump back into contention is by...
North Allegheny flying under Class 6A radar
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview at least one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 27. The preseason buzz in WPIAL Class 6A usually has North Allegheny among the early favorites. This year, that’s maybe not the case. “I think everybody’s...
Ex-Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz joins Pitt staff as volunteer assistant
Eric Kasperowicz said he talked to “a bunch” of coaches at the high school and small college levels about resuming his coaching career. Finally, he received an offer that, he said, “I couldn’t pass up.” Kasperowicz, who coached Pine-Richland to four WPIAL championships and two PIAA titles in eight seasons...
Laurel Highlands baseball coach DeBerry dies following stomach cancer diagnosis
A few years ago, Scott DeBerry of Uniontown needed a French drain around his home, but there really wasn’t room to bring a backhoe in to do the digging. “He hand-dug the whole perimeter. That was an incredible amount of work for one person,” said Shawn Bernarding of Dormont. “He’s...
After committing to Penn State, Perry’s Tyreese Fearbry decides to re-open his recruitment
After verbally committing to Penn State on the Fourth of July, Perry four-star rush end Tyreese Fearby has decided to re-open his recruitment, he announced Thursday on his Twitter account. I will be de-committing from penn state until further notice @RivalsFriedman @Rivalsfbcamps @Evolve2tenths @coachcsanders @210ths @2_10thsRob @CoachWhiteFB @The__Hunt— Tyreese Fearbry...
